Saitama (Japan) (AFP)

It was not necessarily the "Grande Bellezza", but the "Dolce Vita" continues: the French basketball players fought to remove Italy (84-75) from their route to the semi-finals and offer themselves two chances of Olympic medal at the Tokyo Games on Tuesday in Saitama.

When we have Nicolas "Batman" Batum and Rudy "Gobzilla" Gobert at full speed in his team, it is possible to envisage a favorable outcome, especially with Evan Fournier to ensure the offensive performance (21 pts).

Yet this victory was hard to win to go to the last four!

"The Games are the most beautiful competitions in basketball. Being in the last four, when you know the world competition, there is something to be happy", nevertheless welcomed the coach Vincent Collet.

The course of the French, animated by a calm and perfect force until then, continues after three victories in the group stage, in particular the resounding one against the United States, which had offered them a first place synonymous with a favorable draw. .

She saved them from meeting Spain, their executioner of the last two Games at the same stadium, left the tournament just before by ... Team USA.

- Slovenian asteroids in sight -

This favorable alignment of the planets will now have to cross the Slovenian asteroid rain, which promises many turbulences with the star Luka Doncic, from Thursday (8:00 p.m. local, 1:00 p.m. French).

Especially if the Blues commit as many ball losses in attack (20).

Slovenia's prodigy Luka Doncic rebounds against Spain in Group C of the Tokyo Olympics basketball tournament in Saitama, August 1, 2021 Aris MESSINIS AFP / Archives

But they confirmed they were well equipped to navigate despite headwinds, facing an Italy which Collet described as "dangerous as a last-minute guest" after her victory in the qualifying tournament in Serbia.

This was confirmed on the floor of the Super Arena, while the French thought they had done the hardest in the third quarter, during which they escaped the score, their lead peaking at 14 points.

During these minutes of great intensity, Batum was a captain showing the example in defense, blocking and intercepting all the time.

He finished with 14 rebounds, 3 interceptions, 2 blocks and ... 15 points, including a basket which restarted the blue machine at the end of the 4th quarter, before a welcome banderilla behind the arc of Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot ( 5 pts).

- 360 ° Gobert -

Conceding that "in 13 years spent in Blue, this match was the one where the pressure was the strongest" - even compared to the final of Euro-2013 won in Slovenia - "because there were ghosts to chase after the two lost quarters "at the last Olympics, especially in Rio where he had gone through it, Batum wanted mordicus" to do something different ".

Rudy Gobert's 360 ° dunk against Italy in Saitama resumed in combo photo, August 3, 2021 Aris MESSINIS POOL / AFP

"But I didn't do anything exceptional, I was just me, more, more", he tempered, immediately contradicted by Collet, using the same adjective, to salute his performance on the day of his extension to the Los Angeles Clippers.

The other strong man was Rudy Gobert, finally at the level expected of him, domineering in the racket, dissuasive in defense, determined in attack.

The pivot finished top scorer (22 pts at 10/13, 9 rebounds) after a final 360 degree dunk (!) To close the mark.

Rudy Gobert's 360 ° dunk against Italy in the quarter-final of the Tokyo Games in Saitama, August 3, 2021 Thomas COEX AFP

Smiles were finally de rigueur, while this last quarter had yet seen the Italians come back to height (66-66), in the wake of Simone Fontecchio (23 pts).

Precisely because the defense momentarily relaxed and the offensives were not lethal.

Lessons to be learned, if the Batum / Fournier / Gobert generation in turn wants to taste an Olympic final, 21 years after that lost by Antoine Rigaudeau, Laurent Sciarra and co in Sydney, against the United States.

Because Slovenia will not forgive.

© 2021 AFP